Shine On Me
by Akuma-Chibi
Summary: Kagome's just arrived at Nishiura Academy after their Baseball Teams first victory, and that's all she's heard about since walking through the school doors! What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball? Full Summary Inside
1. Chapter 1

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

"I don't feel bad about this,"

"..."

Blue cobalt eyes looked into golden orbs that held a confused expression, as opposed to her own indifferent look, just staring.

"You really think you can just break up with me?"

She smiled, "I don't think I can, I just did." Turning, she watched as a car pulled up to the curb of the school where a crowd of students stared on in surprise. "I know about you seeing Kikyou behind my back, and frankly, I'm not impressed." She turned to see her twin leaning against the school wall, "But don't worry Inuyasha, she's not going to be moving with me. So you'll still have at least one of us, just not both."

"...Kagome...?"

Kagome raised a brow at her recently made ex.

"What do you mean Kikyou isn't moving with you?"

"Disappointed?"

"Of course not! I'm just curious...why you, and not her?"

"Because, Inuyasha, if you must know," She rolled her eyes, _'Not that it's any of your damn business.'_ She continued, "Our parents have recently gotten divorced, and I am moving with our father, while she has chosen to stay with our mother. Souta didn't want to choose, so mom and dad decided that he would stay with her for three months, then dad for three months, and keep switching until they say otherwise. Seeing as how he's in the car with dad," She pointed behind her, "I'll assume we have first dibs on my baby brother,"

He frowned, "Why did you come to school then; to humiliate me in front of our classmates?"

"Don't be so conceited, I came here to get my school transcripts, a-k-a, my grades and other records? Sorry to kill your mood, I know how much you love when everything revolves around you." She shouldered the bag with her records and her books before turning around and climbing into her fathers' car.

A knock on the window caused her to glance over and see one of her friends smiling, "Give me a call once you get settled in, kay!"

Kagome smiled and nodded, "I'll call you the second we finish unpacking, bye Sango!"

The girl stepped back and waved goodbye as Kagome's ride pulled away.

**-x-x-x-**

The arrival at the new house wasn't anything special, since she had seen the house prior to their move date. Her father had taken her with him when looking for a new place to live, saying that it would be her just as much as his. "I'll show Souta to the room he'll be staying in while here." Kagome said, taking her kid brothers hand in hers. He was till looking in surprise at the large, two story home. It was a traditional styled home with a slide screen door that locked, but knowing them, they wouldn't lock it. Entering, they walked in to the Genkan; a little Japanese History for those who don't know, a Genkan is a small area, at the same level as the outside, where arriving people remove their shoes. As they take off their shoes, people step up onto a raised floor. They point the tips of their shoes to the outside. The rest of the residence is at the raised level of this floor. Adjacent to the lower floor is a shelf or cabinet called a getabako (geta box) in which people may place their shoes. Slippers for wear in the home are also stored there.

Kagome removed her shoes and placed them out of the way, turning them to face the door. Souta did the same thing, but neither grabbed a pair of the house slippers, since both were wearing socks. "This way Souta,"

"What school am I going to?"

"Well, I talked to dad about it, and you will actually be enrolled in Ichikawa Private Academy, it has a Soccer Team and Soccer Club, but more importantly, the Principal has talked with dad about your three month living arrangement, and has agreed to work with your other principal at Kaisei Academy."

"Kaisei doesn't have a soccer team." Souta frowned sadly.

"Yeah, I know. It didn't have any sports when I attended, I believe, just this year, they decided to add track." She rolled her eyes, "Them and that stupid motto,"

"**The pen is mightier than the sword!"**

Kagome turned at the second voice that had joined in with her little brothers, only to see her father smiling with two boxes in hand.

"I hated that school. Great if you want to be a Prime Minister, a Haiku Master, a Commander for an aircraft carrier or something else along those lines, but if you were anything like me, then it was lame and boring." He sighed, "But what can you do, it's been around since 1870,"

"I thought it was founded in 1872," Kagome said curiously.

Souta shook his head, "1871, you were both a year off."

"Haha, right, sorry...I'll put these in the rooms they will go in, and we can start setting up tomorrow. Kagome, after you show Souta to his room, take him on a tour of the neighborhood, and walk him to his school and back. He starts Monday, so we will only have Sunday to unpack; I want to get this done as quickly as humanly possible!" He pumped his fist in the air, almost dropping both boxes in hand. "Heh, I'm gonna set these down."

"Kay," Kagome stepped out of her fathers' way and continued walking with Souta up-stairs. "Pretty cool though, your birthday was last week, so technically you are supposed to be in fourth grade, but you have to finish the third grade curriculum, however, since you are enrolling into a new school, your age places you in fourth grade, you'll only need to finish the third grade in Kaisei, however, that could cause you problems too, so when you aren't in school or club activities, you and I will hit the books and make sure you aren't confused on the Third Grade syllabus, okay?"

"Mm, yeah!"

"Good, now...this is your room,"

Souta opened the door and smiled widely, "Cool! I HAVE A BALCONY!" Souta rushed out of the glass screen door which was opened. Her father had come by earlier to give it a once over with a broom, he had apparently decided to leave the windows opened to air the house out to.

"_Hm...?"_

"Uh, HI!"

"..." Kagome frowned, moving through the opening to the balcony, she saw a boy across from her, sitting with a clipboard that was holding what looked like his homework and an electric pencil in hand. "Oh, sorry to interrupt,"

"...it's no problem." He clipped the pencil to the clipboard and stood up, bowing respectfully, "The name is Izumi, Kōsuke."

Kagome bowed, "Higurashi, Kagome; and this is my little brother, Souta."

"_Kōsuke, come here for a moment please!"_

"That's my mom, it was nice to meet you, I'm sure I'll be dropping by later with something homemade, so...I'll see you later," He slid open his own door and entered, bowing goodbye once more, then closing the door and going to see what it was his mother wanted.

"...Hm...he looked to be around my age..."

"So he's in your grade? Do you think he goes to your school?"

"Maybe," She smiled, "but there are a lot of schools in this area, so it's possible he goes to one of them, or maybe even commutes, there are a few private academy's that aren't too far from here."

"...he seems nice."

Kagome looked at her little brother and smiled, "Let's take that tour, okay?"

"Alright!"

**-x-x-x-**

Night time quickly came around, and Kagome was walking inside her house when she heard a crash from the kitchen. She kicked her shoes off and ran to the kitchen where she saw her father glaring at a collection of stainless steel pots that were scattered across the kitchen floor. "What happened?"

"Heh, I was trying to get the kitchen set up, but the pots toppled over. Oh, how was the tour? Did Souta like the school?"

"Yeah, we took our bikes so that he could get an idea of what time to leave to get to school on time. If we leave at the same time, he'll get there with plenty of time, I'll be an hour early, but I can get some extra studying in, so that's fine."

Her father nodded, "By the way, where is your brother?"

"Out front, locking up the bikes; hm?" She looked at a glass dish that held what looked like a cake covered with green icing, white icing was settled around the top edge and bottom edge. "What's with the cake?"

"Ah! Mrs. Izumi came over with her two boys! Good kids, one's your age...uh, his name..."

"Kōsuke,"

"Yeah, Kōsuke...ah! Hey, how did you know that?" He pouted; it was rare that he ever knew something before his daughter, so, despite not being surprised that she knew the youngest boy's name, it still struck a cord in him that bugged him.

"His room is across from Souta's, we met him earlier."

"Ah,"

"DAD!"

"Hm...?" He glanced up from where he was picking up the pots, "What's up?"

"Ichikawa is awesome!" Souta called breathlessly.

"Oh yeah?"

Kagome smiled, "The principal had been on her way out when we arrived. She didn't recognize us, so I mentioned he would be starting Monday, that she's had met you, and she of course smiled and gave Souta and myself a tour of his school. We got to see his classes, since she pulled up his schedule for him, and I also got to learn it, so if I ever need to get him out of class, I will have no problem finding him."

"It stinks though, I have math first thing in the morning."

Kagome smiled, "At least you know what your classes are,"

"Kagome, isn't your school one of the few where you stay in the same class for your academic courses, and just change classes for your recreational lessons?"

"Yeah, but I don't know the order of my academic courses yet, so I'll be walking blindly, like the first day of school, only, the rest of the school will have a head over me."

"...?"

Kagome caught the confused look on her brothers' face. "It means that they won't get lost in the halls like I will, they'll be more prepared for the teachers coming and going, and will already know when to get ready for a recreational class and when to stay seated for the next academic class."

"But you'll figure that out on the first day, right?"

"Yeah, I'll get it down Monday, and everyday after will be simple recurrence." She looked at her brother and grinned, "But that doesn't matter right now, you...bath...you too dad!"

"EH!" Her father sighed, "Who's the adult here?"

Kagome raised a brow at the mess on the floor and the pink apron with yellow ducklings along the bottom of the apron. "Right, never mind...come on Souta, let's go take a bath. I'll finish cleaning up the kitchen when I get out."

"Don't worry about it, go."

The two left; her father leaving the apron he'd been using on the counter. Waiting for the two to disappear up the stairs, she started cleaning up the kitchen. Checking the fridge, she couldn't help but frown. _'Nothing...I should run to the store and grab something to make for dinner, then breakfast tomorrow. I'll worry about lunch and so on tomorrow, when I can make a grocery list.'_ Running up stairs, she tapped on the door.

"_Yeah?"_ Her father cried from the other side of the slide screen door.

"I'm going to the supermarket down the street, anything in particular that you want for dinner?"

"_SUKIYAKI!"_

Kagome smiled.

"_You heard him, Sukiyaki! Take my card; just make sure to put it back in the Bamboo Leaf Bowl on the counter."_

"Alright, and for breakfast?"

"_...doesn't seem like Souta has any requests, get something you want!"_

"Right, I'll go out tomorrow with a list and get some things for the week, alright!"

"_Right!"_

Turning, she ran down the steps and grabbed her fathers' card from his wallet before walking to the Genkan and pulling her shoes on. She left the house, grabbing her bike along the way. _'I think...boiled rice, miso soup, some grilled fish and an omelet roll will be good for breakfast tomorrow.'_ She nodded to herself, "Yeah, that will work! Maybe they'll have some Wagyu Beef that I can use for the Sukiyaki too!"

**-x-x-x-**

"Now let's see if I've got everything! I have the Wagyu, Kohada, Mirin, Sake, Soy Sauce, Sugar, Firm Tofu, Nappa cabbage, some fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, Scallion, Dashi, Enoki Mushrooms...I have two bunches of Chrysanthemum leaves, a pack a yam noodles, Eggs, Salt, Oil, seaweed, green onion, Kamaboku, Daikon, Miso Paste, white rice, pepper, Strawberries, grapes, Yuzu, Milk Coffee, Oolong Cha, Ryoku-Cha, Mitsuya Cider and some Meiji Fruit Drops for my favorite little brother!"

"Ah...Higurashi-San, isn't it a little late to still be out?"

Kagome lifted her head and stared up at a boy with dark brown hair, light scattered freckles on his cheeks, and violet blue eyes. He was dressed in a button up black shirt that was a little bit baggy on him, but not unattractively so, and blue jeans. He wore white tinny shoes and a dark blue baseball cap with UN on the front, but it was turned so that the bill of the hat faced the back. "Oh, Izumi-San," She smiled, "Heard from dad that you, your mother and older brother came by while I was out with Souta."

"Touring the neighborhood, right?"

"Yeah, I was showing Souta to his new school."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmm," She nodded, looking down at her calculator, she sighed, _"Good, I didn't go over. Maybe I can snag a book for Souta while I'm here."_

"Book's are over there," Izumi pointed behind her. "Mind if I join you?"

"I have no problem with it, but only if it's okay with you."

"I asked, didn't I?" He asked rationally.

"...yeah, I guess so." She smiled, "Thanks!"

"No problem, so what type of book are you looking for?"

"Hmm, something that's educational, he hates math, so probably a math book with some third and fourth grade mathematical equations, possibly some fifth grade problems too."

Izumi said nothing as he looked along the shelves in the educational section. "How's this one? It's 'Mathematics' grades one to six, basically an Elementary Math Book."

"That would work!" She grinned, looking at the price, she smiled brightly. "PERFECT!"

"...need help carrying your groceries back?"

"Um..." She looked at the stuff in her basket and sighed, "Yeah, I'll probably have to have dad drive me tomorrow too. This is just for tonight and tomorrow, I have to go shopping for the week too...moving sucks."

"Well, I can help out tomorrow. I have early morning training though, so what time are you planning on going?"

"I was going to go after I finished unpacking, probably around four or five."

"I'll be out by five, I can meet you here tomorrow at five-thirty."

"That works, thanks, Izumi-San!"

"No, it's fine. Beside's, you don't know anyone here yet, right?"

"Yeah, except for you and the principal at Ichikawa Academy, I haven't really had the time to go around making friends."

"Well, then let me be the first to welcome you to your new home,"

"Thanks," Kagome smiled as she watched the women before her bag the groceries.

"19,497 yen,"

Kagome slid the card and pocketed it, "Thank you." She bowed politely to the woman.

"Oh, thank you! Please come again!" The woman blushed at the girls show of respect, watching Kagome and Izumi walk out of the store with the four bags.

Kagome placed both of her bags in the front basket of her bike before taking one of the bags Izumi was holding, "I'll carry this one," She said, grabbing the left handle of her bike and pushing on. Izumi copied her motion and grabbed the right handle of the bike before pushing it along with his new neighbor. Neither spoke, both just let the silence of the night keep them company as they made their way to their respective homes.

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: A new story, hope you guys enjoyed! Please tell me what you think, nai~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Izumi yawned, _'It's too damn early for this!'_

"HEY!"

"Hm?" He looked over as one of his teammates ran over to him and his catcher, and vice captain, Abe, Takaya. "Hey, what's up Tajima?" He lifted his hand in an act of response to the teams' stand-in catcher, and third and first baseman.

"Hanai wants us to meet up after practice for some study time; we have an exam coming up this Friday, and Coach says we need to hit the books! But...we can't go over to Mihashi's place this time, his mom is out of town, and he's staying with Hanai's family."

Izumi stared in surprise, "Hanai? Not Abe's?"

Abe looked curiously at Izumi, "Why would he stay at my house?"

"...I don't know," Izumi glanced away, _'He always yells at him like some kind of angry or upset girlfriend, then a few seconds later he'll be gushing over him like Mihashi's his kid. Well...maybe not his kid...but still...'_

"Well, I would love to invite everyone over to my place, but I have ten people in my house already, not including myself, my dog, my cat or my hamster."

"...yeah, about that...I─"

"Don't mind if we come over to your place? YOUR AWESOME IZUMI!"

"No, I was going to say, I can't join you guys today. I have plans."

"Plans?"

Izumi looked behind him and saw the team captain, right fielder and second stand-in pitcher, Hanai, Azusa; next to him was their voluptuous coach, Coach Momoe. "Yeah, someone recently moved in to the house next to mine, and I promised to help her with her grocery shopping after training today. I told her I would meet up with her at the market at five-thirty, and I don't feel it appropriate to just stand her up and make her carry all of it home by herself."

"..." Tajima stared for a moment, then broke out a large smile, "AH MAN! THAT'S FUNNY! How long have you known _her_?"

Izumi frowned, "Met her yesterday,"

"LOOOOOVE-STRUUUUUCK!"

"Am not!"

"Look man, it's fine if you can't do it after training, just don't make plans tomorrow night. I'll hold it off until then, sense this is something we will continue doing as a team."

Izumi bowed, "Thanks Hanai,"

"No problem, man, now let's go warm up!"

Tajima laughed, "YEAH!"

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome stretched, glancing behind her, she smiled. Breakfast sat on the table, ready for when her brother and father woke up, which would be in about five minutes, if she set their alarms right, which she did. It would be an early day, and a busy day for them, and she planed on getting in a quick run before it started. Wearing a pair of black, poly/spandex track shorts and a white t-shirt that fell just above the hem of the shorts, then on her feet were a pair of white socks and white sneakers.

Grabbing a white scrunchy off the counter, she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, and then quietly left the house, a note on the table where breakfast waited patiently for the rest of the household to wake up.

"I'll run to the school and back, that will be fine...though, there is a slight incline on the way, it'll be fine if I sprint halfway and then slow into a steady jog." She was talking to herself, a bad habit she had, or at least, her mom seemed to think it was a bad habit; she didn't really care if someone heard her talking to herself. Let them think she was crazy; she'd paint the neighborhood pink if they could show her someone who wasn't! She stretched her hamstring, then quadriceps. "The school has water, so I'll get a drink before heading back, then a quick shower, and a day of settling in!" Jumping to her feet, she gave a big grin, **"DAY ONE!"**

**-x-x-x-**

Day one was clearly a nice day when she left, but now, the sun was set right before her, and even with the light breeze, it was sweltering; it could be said that her one real penchant, was the heat. Well, in her defense, it wasn't so much the heat, it was the sweat. Strangely enough, she was a very active girl, despite hating sweat; she loved to run, and even more the running, she loved to swim! "DETOUR!" She stopped running, staring at the school, she smiled. "I'm sure no one will mind if I use the pool...it'll only be for a little while." She grinned excitedly. _"Just a little dip!"_ She ran around the school, passing by the field, she paused and turned to look at the recently raked pitch. _'...a pitch...so at least I know this school has sports...'_ She frowned, _'I remember...dad used to play catch with me when I was little...'_ Shaking her head free of those thoughts, she continued out back to the pool and smiled at the clear looking water, the smell of chlorine fresh in the air. "Even if I hate sweat, I love the cold swim after the hard workout!" She pulled off her white shirt; a sports bra was underneath. Leaving on the spandex shorts, she dived head first into the six foot deep pool, a splash sounded, and the water sloshed back and forth a bit in the area she'd dived, but then quickly settled as she started to swim laps.

**-x-x-x-**

"Hey, where is Kagome?"

"...mmm...good question, her note said that she went jogging, so she shouldn't be gone too long. She's a tough girl though, so I wouldn't worry too much." Watching Souta eat the last of the food on his plate, he sighed sadly.

_Higurashi, Gin Gen, it means Silvery Spring, and the last name, Higurashi, means Sunset. So, together, Silvery Spring Sunset, S.S.S. Gin is Kagome's father, and at one time, he was a loving husband to Rai Mitsuai, but even if opposites attract, when you are too different, you fall apart. Rai thought that Kagome should be more like her older, twin sister, Kikyou; Kikyou was top of her grade, in the tea ceremony class, loved to do flower arrangements, and dressed in dresses. She was a girl; and in Rai's eyes, one that could do no wrong. Kagome on the other hand had taken after her father. She loved to run, to race, to sprint, and then to fall backwards in the grass and cloud watch; she was a swimmer, loved to swim laps, dive, and splash; then there was sports..._

_Kagome, when little, would play sports with her father, while Kikyou would play with the flowers in the garden. She had learned some pitches from her father, and due to her swimming, her pitches were fast, extraordinarily so, and her love running kept her a step ahead of the other teams pitcher. He loved his youngest daughter, because she wasn't some doll that followed her mothers every whim. He liked Kagome's originality and uniqueness, so what if she wore shorts and jeans, instead of skirts and dresses. Who cared if she ran laps rather than practiced her color coordination with flower arrangement. She was him, in every breath she took; it was his daughter, and Rai's, which was why he filed for the divorce. He couldn't stand the woman down talking her._

_Now, his son...his son was like him too. Only, instead of Baseball, it was Soccer. Now, mind you, Gin loved anything that got your heart racing, and blood pumping. Skating and skateboarding when he was younger, racing, soccer, baseball and tennis when he was in his teens, baseball, soccer, basketball and rock climbing as an adult. He loved to workout too, but could only find the time when Rai wasn't home, now...well, no he'd be buying his own compilation of workout equipment._

"Dad?"

"Huh? What?" Gin looked to his son he had a hand in front of him.

"You were off in your own world dad," Souta laughed, "I did the dishes, and put the leftovers up in the fridge. LOOK!" He held up a can and shook it. Inside were hard fruit candies that had come out around the Second World War, "Ah, did Kagome get those for you?"

Souta held another sticky note in his hand and nodded, "Don't eat them all in one day! That's what it says!"

"Hm, how do you know it wasn't for me?"

"DAAAD~!" Souta took off a few feet away, hiding the can of hard candies behind his back. "You don't eat candy, health nut!"

"...HAHAHAHA~ Alright, alright, go get dressed, no candy till after lunch."

"Mm, okay!" Souta smiled, taking the candy to his room, he opened up his suitcase and pulled out some clothes for the day. He placed the can on the ground next to his folded up futon and blankets. "...sis is so cool..." He smiled joyfully.

**-x-x-x-**

"What are we doing?" Izumi frowned from where he sat, leaning against one of the bars as he looked at the field.

"We are waiting," Hanai answered.

"For?"

"...Abe?"

Abe sighed, "We are waiting for Shiga, since Momoe is talking with Shinooka and Hamada, she told us to rest for awhile until Shiga got here."

Izumi sat down on the bench beside Tajima and Mihashi. "This is boring, at least if I'm practicing I'm doing something, but if I sit here and do nothing at six in the morning, I'm going to just fall asleep."

"I'm with ya man, this is lame! I want to hit some balls!"

Izumi sighed, but couldn't argue, it was boring. He glanced to the side and yawned, his eyes widened a bit, "Huh? Someone actually gets up for early morning jogs?"

Tajima looked to where Izumi was looking, "Where, I don't see anyone,"

Mihashi, Ren, their pitcher, their _ACE_ pitcher, looked nervously at Tajima as he fiddled his finger, "Uh...sh-she went b-b-behind the tree's..."

"What?" Tajima looked at the blonde who was avoiding eye contact, glancing away from him and the others.

"Yeah, I saw her earlier; while...everyone was getting dressed...I saw her run by..."

"That was an hour ago, is she running laps?" Tajima shivered, "If she's willingly training at the butt crack of dawn, then she must be crazy!"

"Na, aren't you willing, Tajima?"

Izumi smiled, _'Yeah, but that's for a different reason.'_ Izumi thought at Sakaeguchi, Yūto, the second baseman and vice captain's question.

"Well, yeah, but everyone knows I'm not normal." Tajima smiled, "There she is!"

Izumi glanced back, she looked familiar, but he was too far away to get a good look.

"Ah, good, everyone is here."

Another look to the side showed Shiga, the team Supervisor, walking up to them.

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome pulled off her shoes and sat them facing the door, "I'm home!"

"_**Oh, Kagome~! Upstairs!"**_

Kagome walked up the stairs, passing the kitchen on the way, she smiled at the cleaned table and dishes. _'That's one thing I don't need to do!'_ She turned from the stairs, looking at the boxes piled in the hall and sighed before looking into two of the rooms before coming to Souta's; already almost finished, her father was on the floor, helping Souta fold his clothes and put them into the dresser they'd bought for him. "How's it going?"

"Ah, it's going, just not far...could you bring the box marked '**SF Souta**'over here?"

She nodded, walking out into the hall; she spotted the box and picked it up fairly easily. "Clothes?" She called curiously.

"Yeah,"

She set to work, opening the box and folding the messed up clothes. It never seemed to fail, if you pack something neatly, it's messed up by the time you get to where your going. "So, Souta, how do you like the house so far; did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did!"

Gin looked at his daughter in wonder as a thought seemed to hit him, "Just curious, but...how did you get four bags of groceries home last night?"

"Oh, Izumi-San was kind enough to walk me back. I carried one, he carried one, and the bike held the other two."

"Izumi-San...which one?"

"The youngest,"

He frowned, "Ah, well...that's oddly nice for a teenage boy."

"He was there when I got there, he just offered to help me carry the groceries back when he saw how much I had. No ulterior motives, dad."

"He's a guy, we always have ulterior motives."

She couldn't help but smile,_ 'He's nice, but not really my type. I don't think it would matter much if I told daddy that, so I'll leave it be.'_

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Next Chapter, The Grocery w/Izumi! And the start of her first day at school! Hope you guys enjoy and review! LOVE LOVE! Akuma~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome glanced at the clock from where she sat playing Shogi with her brother, the clock turned to four forty-four, "Make a wish Souta!"

"Huh?" He glanced at the clock and his eyes widened, then quickly, he closed them.

Kagome smiled, _'I wonder if he even knows where that came from, actually...I don't even know where that came from. Making a wish when all the numbers on a clock are the same...? Oh well, I'm hoping something fun and exciting happens at School this year. That's all I wish for; that's all I want. Wait, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind a few friends either...'_ Kagome laughed, "Hope that isn't too much..."

"You know, you shouldn't wish for a lot, otherwise, your wish won't come true."

"Oh, you think so?"

"I know so," Souta smiled as he won, yet another, game of Shogi.

"Geez, Souta, when did you get so good at this game, I used to actually win a few..."

"Hehe, I've been playing against dad!"

'_That explains it, I can't beat dad at Shogi...'_

"Kagome, do you need help with the Groceries today?"

Kagome shook her head no, "Izumi-San is going to help me out, so I'm going to meet him at the grocer around five-thirty."

"...I don't like him,"

"Being a little childish, don't you think, Dad?" Kagome asked with a raised brow as she stood up and stretched.

"Humph," He closed his eyes and crossed his arms in a juvenile manner. "Oh, putting that aside, I want you both to come out back." He smiled, "I set up the Goalie net and Ball rack."

"Ball rack?" Souta asked, "For Soccer balls?"

"Not only," Gin walked out with his youngest daughter of twins and his youngest child and only son. "Baseballs, a basketball, soccer balls and tennis balls...I even set up the table in that tea room in the back for table tennis."

"Cool!" Kagome grabbed a baseball and glove, tossing the glove to her father with a grin. "Let's play! I've got fifteen minutes!"

He grinned, "Sounds like fun, I'll play Soccer with Souta while you're out."

Kagome nodded, running a little ways away, she got into stance before winding up, and then...she let loose. A chill ran down her spine at the familiar feeling, the lost feeling. She hadn't pitched in so long, her arm tingled at the motion she was forcing upon it after so long, and memories began resurfacing as she recalled the pitches her father had taught her.

"Great slider! But try to manipulate the pitch to come off of you're the thumb-side of your index finger, and _not _your index and middle-fingers, the way you would with a two seam fastball, because a two-finger release will cause the pitch to balance out, which means it'll reduce the spin that you are looking for. Do it again," He tossed it back and Kagome gripped the ball, holding it slightly off center.

'_...slightly cock the wrist, don't stiffen, and then...let it come off the thumb side of my index-finger...'_ She walked herself through the motions as she threw the ball and watched it's spin as it hit her fathers glove, _'...which in turn...promotes good spin on the ball!'_ She smiled.

"Perfect! Now, show me that Knuckleball that you're so proud of..."

**-x-x-x-**

"See you guy's later!"

"See ya, tomorrow! HAVE FUN ON YOUR DATE IZUMI!" Tajima yelled as he turned to run home.

"It's not a date!" Izumi yelled back with Mihashi beside him, blushing uneasily and twiddling his fingers.

Tajima laughed, "Yeah, right, and I'm an only child!"

Izumi rolled his eyes, walking off with Sakaeguchi and Mihashi next to him.

"So how old is she?"

"Mm," Izumi sighed, glancing at Sakaeguchi, he answered, "I guess she's around our age. She lives with just her father and little brother, from what I've seen."

"No mother?"

"I don't know, didn't ask," He frowned, "Better question, what are you following me for?"

"Oh, I'm not, I'm heading this way, but only because the library is in this direction. I'm showing Mihashi. His mom checked out a few books for him, and he finished then and wanted to turn them in...but...apparently, he's never been to the library." Sakaeguchi smiled, "Then Hanai is meeting up with him there, he had to pick something up from his house, I'm assuming books."

"Nice assumption,"

The three turned to see Hanai on his bike, riding up to them with a different bag over his shoulders.

"Hey, what's in the bag, Hanai?" Sakaeguchi asked.

"My mom wanted me to return the books she checked out Monday, on my way to school, but since Mihashi is going now, and he'll be staying at my place, I thought I might as well get it over with and then just show him the way to my house."

"I'm leaving here,"

"I'll stick it out with Hanai and Mihashi, check out a book or something since I've already come this far. Unless of course, you want me to join you on your 'date which isn't a date', Izumi,"

"Funny, and no thanks, you'll only be carrying grocery bags anyways."

"Oh, allow me to take back that offer. I have my own groceries I need to get, and it isn't Saturday yet!"

Izumi smiled, "Then, I'll see you guys tomorrow at school,"

"Bring your friend!" Sakaeguchi yelled out as Izumi left down the opposite direction.

'_Bring my friend, they say. Yeah, right...what are the chances that she we'll be in my class, or go to my school, for that matter. I commute, as it is, and so...damn...'_ He sighed, "What does it matter anyways,"

"Everything matters, what's got your mind all twisted and tangled?"

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome was sitting outside on the bench, waiting out in front of Sakurai Food Souk. She could see Izumi walking down the street, heading towards her, but it didn't look like he noticed her yet. Then she'd heard him talking and had accidently commented on his own statement.

"Oh, nothing really, so, Higurashi-San...what school are you going to?"

"Um...Nishiura, and you?"

He smiled, "Same!"

'_Ooh, my first school friend,'_ She laughed to herself, "That means it wont be so awkward in school, I at least no someone."

"I have a hole group of friends who I'm sure would adore you...some are questionable...but their all great."

Kagome smiled, "I have some of those back at my old school, they are...at times, a bit of a handful, but I love them." She grabbed a basket and pulled out a list, "Shall we?"

"Yeah, so what exactly are you getting?"

"I'm getting Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, for the next...uh...six days; I'll make Sunday my restock day, if need be."

"Fun, here, I'll push, you grab."

Kagome laughed, "Sounds like a plan,"

**-x-x-x-**

Seven o'clock crept up quickly on the two fifteen year olds, and the passing time landed them in the toy isle, laughing with some of the neighborhood kids.

"GOT YOU!"

Kagome brought her hands up to guard herself from the attack, catching it with difficulty, but managing all the same, she grinned, "MY BALL! Hey Izumi, grab a bat!"

Izumi laughed as Kagome pretended to be a Pitcher, he held the bat firmly; a few of the kids were running to catch the ball as the girl started her wind-up. Izumi's eyes widened and he watched the overly familiar stance, _"No way..."_

"HA!" She cried out, letting the ball go as it spun furiously towards Izumi who swung the bat and made contact with the surprisingly fast ball.

It was surprising, not because she was a girl and he thought girls couldn't pitch or hit, he had a coach that proved otherwise...no, it was surprising because the ball was one of those plushy balls that kids normally played with at the pool, or with their baby siblings that wanted to be like big brother and throw a baseball. Yeah, that was what surprised him.

"I GOT IT!" A little boy shouted as he caught the ball he'd just hit, "Izu-Sempai, your out!"

Izumi blinked blandly at the nickname, causing Kagome to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Izu-Sempai," Kagome called, "its seven ten, I need to finish grocery shopping; my dad is probably walking on walls by this point."

"Ah, right!" He placed the bat down and followed her to their cart, both waving farewell to the five kids they'd been playing with. "What else is on your list?"

"Um...Mitsukan Rice Vinegar...dad wants me to make sushi tonight and some for his bento tomorrow...AH! Only 1950 yen~"

"What? The Vinegar? That's a lot for just vinegar!"

She pointed, "No, Ika Somen...SQUID!"

"...oh...hm?" He looked next to the squid, "Don't buy it,"

Her eyes looked to have widened the size of baseballs, "WHY NOT~!" she all but whined.

"Because, the shipments came in around seven this morning, I'll take you to the fish port on Saturday next weekend; it opens at four, and usually gets busy around seven, so if we get there at six, you can get fresh Squid, and better choices."

"Wah! Really! AWESOME!"

'_She must really like squid,'_

"I've finished getting what I need!" She held the bottle of vinegar up and grinned, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah,"

The two headed up to the front and she once more watched the cashier bag her groceries.

"The total is 89,229 yen."

Kagome paid the total and smiled, bowing politely, "Thanks a lot!"

And once more, the woman bowed back in quick reply, "No, thank you! _Again_..."

**-x-x-x-**

Gin walked to the front door, opened it, looked outside, closed it, then walked back to where his son sat, answering the questions in the math book his sister had picked up for him the other night. Turning, he repeated the motion, walking to the front door, then opening it, and looking outside, before finally closing it, and walking back to the sitting room.

"She isn't going to come home any quicker with you pacing the entrance..."

"Sure she will! She'll walk through that door any minute now!"

_**~CLACK~**_

"_**Daddy!"**_

"_See!"_ Gin whispered, sticking his tongue out childishly, then putting on a smile and walking towards the door once more, only to stop and stare in horror.

Souta curiously got up and moved to see what had his father so horrified. "Izumi-Sempai! Why are you here?"

"I helped your sister with the groceries,"

"Again?" Souta frowned, "You're paying him, right?"

"No, he offered."

"I offer all the time, but I still get something in the end,"

Kagome laughed.

_**~THUMP~**_

"Huh?" She looked and saw her father out cold on the floor, "Oh, great Souta, give him something to freak out about! Go get a wet rag!"

"Right!"

He ran off and Kagome sighed, "Little brothers..."

"Can't be any worse than older brothers," Izumi said, "Though, I'm a little brother, I've never had any complaints."

"Nope, I think it's only mine. He gets a riot out of messing with my dad's head. He did it at our old place to. Mind you, he was on the nail with his playful teases at my last home."

"What do you mean?"

"We had a neighbor, who...well, actually...it's quite similar to this, InuYasha, lived with his older brother, Sesshoumaru, and his mother, InuKimi...both the older brother and mother were well mannered, and even Inu was...when I first met him...then, he asked me out...and it was great, but that changed when he met my sister..."

"Older?"

"Yes, and no...she was my twin...small differences which make us worlds apart, and I guess, he saw her as the upgraded version of me...I was too much of a tomboy, and she was every bit the lady he wanted. Doesn't matter though, she's there, I'm here. My parents got a divorce because they saw family differently. Mom thought it was outrageous, the way I acted, the clothes I wore, but she thought Kikyou was an angel. Both Kikyou and InuYasha went behind my back...I hated them both, but at the same time...the feeling couldn't last forever, I could never really hate my sister, and Inu was the first guy I ever really cared for in any way other than a friend...so...I just became hardhearted around them, I stopped caring...all together..., oh, we got off topic, Souta would joke around about how we were probably off somewhere, with no supervision, and other childish things. It really gets to dad."

"Mm, ow..."

"Oh, Dad!"

Souta came back in with a dripping wet rag, "H-here!"

"Where did you run to?"

"Upstairs, needed...a rag..."

Kagome sighed, but smiled none the less; her family was a strange family, but she loved them none the less.

**-x-x-x-**

"Thanks again Izumi-San!"

"No problem, see you tomorrow,"

She watched him walk off before entering her house once more; six bags of groceries sat on the counter. She helped her father unload them before prepping for breakfast. _'Today was a tiring day,'_ She yawned.

"Go on up and take a bath, Kagome."

"Hm?"

"Yeah," Gin smiled, "I'll set breakfast up and finish putting the groceries up, you go bathe and get ready for bed, I know you're tired. Souta is already bathing."

"_Kay,"_ She yawned out once more, then walked up the steps, knocking on the door to the bathroom, she called, "Souta, I'm coming in,"

"_Kay!"_

She entered and saw him already bathing in the hot water, smiling, she started to undress behind the shoji screen before sitting on a stool and scrubbing herself clean with soap, "Hey, Souta, could you get my back?"

"Mmhm," He climbed out, grabbing the soapy cloth, he gently lathered the soap across her back. "I thought you and dad were putting up the dishes."

"No, I can't stop yawning, I'm sleepy. Dad said to go upstairs, bathe and sleep...so here I am." She yawned once more and sighed, "I feel like the day was just one big blur...but...it was fun."

Souta smiled, taking the bowl and filling it with cool water, he carefully poured it over his sister before returning to the large bath. His sister joined in and laid her head on her crossed arms that were stationed on the border of the bath. "Did you have fun with Izumi-Sempai?"

"Izu-Sempai..." Kagome laughed softly to herself, "We were playing plush ball tag with a few of the kids in the market, and one of the boys called him that." She nodded, "Yeah, it was fun, but I think that's what wore me out."

Souta grinned, "Does that mean you'll sleep longer than normal?"

"What, so you miss the first day of school? Dream on!" She lathered her hair up in shampoo, rinsing the bubbles from her hair. "I'm excited," She said, pouring some conditioner into the palm of her hand. "Izumi _does_ go to my school!"

"Hey, do you like Izumi-Sempai?"

"...yeah, I _like_ him. Try not to confuse that with anything more than what it is. Izumi-san is nice, and has an air around him, something trustworthy. You know?"

"Yeah, I think I do...like Sango?"

"Yeah. AH! SANGO!" She ducked under the water and washed the conditioner from her hair before pulling a towel to her and climbing out of the bath, wrapping the towel around her body, she ran to her clothes and pulled out her cell phone.

"Forget to call her?"

"Hehe, kinda..." Kagome blushed, "What about you, did you call mom?"

"This morning!"

"...damn," She dried her hands and wrapped her hair up in another towel before dialing her best friends' number. It rang twice before she picked up.

_-Hello?-_

"Sango!"

_-That's me! What's up Kagome? Are you settled in?-_

"Yeah, everything is unpacked, I can't wait for tomorrow!"

_-What's tomorrow?-_

"School!"

_-And you're excited about that? Away for a day and already brainwashed.-_

"Not so much brainwashed, as I've made a friend."

_-Is he cute?-_

"How do you know it's a guy?"

_-Cute girl moves into the house next door, chances are, between a boy and a girl, a boy is the first to move in for an introduction, girls are the first to gather information on likely rivals in love.-_

"...see, such complex thinking is something only you would do."

_-No, such complex thinking is what **normal** girls do; you fall under the radar, being a tomboy and all.-_

"Thank Kami for that."

_-So is he cute?-_

"Mm...yeah...I guess so, but not really my type. He's nice though."

_-So he's definitely stuck in the friend zone...poor guy. Oh, hey...is it okay if I come by, not next weekend, but the weekend after?-_

"...yeah, what's the date?"

_-The nineteenth, so...not the twenty-fifth, but the third.-_

"Yeah, I'll let daddy know."

_-Great! I'll talk to you tomorrow then!-_

"Alright, bye Sango,"

_-Bye!-_

Kagome pressed the 'end call' button and smiled, "I'm heading to bed, Souta, you should too."

"Riiiight~!"

**-x-x-x-**

**(5:00AM)**

"Bag, dressed...should I just wear a skirt and shirt? I don't like skirts. Well, not really a choice, I don't have any skirts." Kagome sighed, "Jeans...? Oh, those are cute!" She smiled, grabbing a pair of blue jean Capri's and pulling them on. She sported a white bra that matched her underwear, and then went in search of a shirt or blouse to wear. She found a chiffon and lace, apricot colored baby doll blouse and smiled, "This will be perfect!" She pulled it on and then pulled white socks on. "Now, lunches..."

Souta was practically dragging himself to the bathroom, yawning all the while. "How do you get up...so early...every morning..."

"Well, I like to get in some stretching and a morning jog every morning, but I can only do that during Summer Vacation and Weekends. So, on Weekdays, I like to wake up early, stretch, and ride my bike around a bit on the way to school, I always have fun doing that, so I sometimes forget the time, which is why I wake up early, it gives me plenty of time for some fun."

"...yeah, I guess that makes sense. A little bit long for an explanation, but I hear girls like to talk." Sighing, he went to his room to dress into his school uniform. Unlike Kagome, his school had uniform requirements, and that meant no freedom when it came to clothing. "Can't have everything you want..." He grinned, "But at least they have a soccer team!"

_The day held many surprises in store for the two siblings, but would any of them be good? Or were the two going to find, life at a new school wasn't going to be as simple as they thought? Change is something that comes with time, and the time has come for the two to embark on a change that will reflect who they really are, inside and out._

_Kagome; a pure heart with a hidden talent which is often concealed by a larger shadow, but larger is not always better._

_Souta; a sharp mind with room to grow and expand, ready to prove himself worthy when presented with opportunity and chance._

_Two souls meant for greatness in their own rights, both requiring a gentle guiding hand, neither quite sure of where to find such guidance...until they were finally accessible...to change._

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: So, here is the next chapter, I will post another soon, but I was afraid that if I didn't stop it soon, I'd never end it. Hope you guys all enjoyed~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome was stretching in her brothers' room with Souta next to her, as he had surprised her by waking up almost immediately after she'd woken up. It was normal for her, not for him.

She opened the shoji screen door and walked out in time to see the lights were on in Izumi's room, but she couldn't see him. She didn't want to wake his mother or older brother up either. _"Izumi!"_ She whisper-yelled.

"Oi!"

Looking down, she saw an older version of Izumi standing with trash, "...yes?"

"Mom left already, at four, and I get up at four, you can yell out for Kōsuke...no one will wake up angry."

"Cool!" She smiled, "Izumi~!"

That clearly caught his attention as she saw his silhouette pull on a shirt. He opened his slide glass door and waved, "Your up,"

"Yeah, you and your brother are welcomed to join us for breakfast, I made too much!" She grinned.

"I'm about to leave," The older said from below as he tossed the trash into the trashcan.

"...oh? Do you eat lunch?"

"Not normally, I don't bring a Bento, so I normally buy a snack or something."

Kagome frowned.

"I'll join you," Izumi said as he grabbed a hat and pulled it on. "I'll be over in two or three minutes,"

"Kay!" She ran inside, leaving the slide door open.

Souta yawned, buttoning up the black uniform jacket that went over the white uniform shirt. He stared at the opened slide door in his room which led to his balcony and sighed, "Yeah, I'll shut the door for you," He said sarcastically as he slid it shut and finished dressing.

He walked down stairs and saw that his dad was already eating. Kagome was readying a bento, by the looks of it, with three Benton's on the side. Grabbing a cloth, she placed the closed bento box on it and tied it securely before running past the two.

"Where is she going?"

"Mmnm..." Souta swallowed a bite of rice, "Probably made a bento for Izumi-Sempai,"

"That brat?"

Souta smiled, "Nope, that _brat's_ older brother."

_**~CLATTER~**_

"My baby girl...no...he's so much older than her..."

"...? Only five years, right? You said he was twenty."

"THAT'S OLD!"

"Ha, then your ancient!"

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome smiled, "Have a nice day, Izumi-Sempai!" She waved, Kōsuke stood beside her, waving to his brother who was blushing horribly after having a Bento lunch placed in his hand. "He's a college student, right?"

"Mmhm, at Tokyo University, he's trying for a business degree."

"Ah," She grinned, taking in his hand in hers, "Come on! We have fresh strawberries, and Yuzu, then spiced persimmon bread, and some white rice, with edamame and egg soup...I wanted to make Nippon Egg Rolls, with spring onions and baby shrimps...but..." Kagome sighed as she entered the house with Kōsuke, "I forgot the shrimp..."

He laughed, looking her over, he smiled, "Jogging?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Shorts and tank, figured you were either jogging, or planning to skip school."

Kagome rolled her eyes when something at the hem of his sleeve caught her eyes, "Ah! Your hurt," Kagome stared at the bruise, moving the sleeve up a little on Izumi's arm.

"Oh, don't worry, it's self inflicted. I'm on the Baseball team, and took a dive for a ball yesterday; needless to say, we spent a good hour checking for stray rocks that had been missed when we first cleaned up the field."

"_...yesterday...you still helped me,"_ Kagome looked teary eyed at him, just standing and staring, "You play baseball?"

"...?" He nodded with a frown, "Something wrong with that?"

She shook her head negatively, flustered at giving him the wrong impression.

**-x-x-x-**

Izumi laughed out loud at the flushed cheeks and quick shale of her head, her hair fanning around her head at the rapid motion. _'She's like Mihashi...only...in small doses, hopefully. I barely know how to handle Mihashi, much less a female Mihashi.'_ He smiled.

"I love baseball, any sport, actually...but baseball...I played when I was little with dad, and then, just an hour ago, I was tossing pitches!" Her eyes were sparkling.

"So, you're a pitcher?"

"Mm, yeah...nothing special."

Souta scoffed, "She's great! She does all sorts of spins and things. Dads been teaching her since she was little, she stopped for a while but yesterday she was playing in the back with him again!"

The two turned to see Souta making his way out onto the front porch.

Kagome blushed, "But I really can only do...like...three specialty pitches, and then normal fastballs...well, actually, I have three fastballs, a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, and then a regular fastball..."

Izumi looked at her in wonder, if her brothers enthusiasm was anything to go by, she must be better than she thinks...that or her brothers knows nothing about Baseball and just idolizes his sister, most likely the latter of the two options. "What are your specialty pitches?"

"Well, there's a Knuckle Curveball..." She held her hand out in thought, her fingers wrapping around an invisible ball, he could see her nails were cut and well manicured, similar to Mihashi's. "A Splitter," Her index and middle finger forked, her thumb beneath, "And then...my Knuckleball...I can throw others, but those are my best pitches. Like, a Slider, Palm ball, split-finger fastball, three-finger changeup, circle changeup...and others. I am a fast learner, and can learn pretty much any pitch...oh...it doesn't matter though...I heard that Nishiura doesn't have a girls baseball team."

Izumi grinned, "But it _does_ have a _co-ed _baseball team."

Souta grinned, "...seriously? How many girls are on your team?"

Izumi looked down at the younger boy, "Well, just the coach, but they called it a co-ed team, so, I'll bring it up today at training..." He looked at Kagome, "What do you think? Will you come with?"

"...yeah, yeah I will! What time do you go to training?"

"...now…actually. Oh...well, there is one thing, you are a Pitcher, and our Pitcher...well..."

"He's a prick?" She asked.

"No..."He sighed, _'Far from,'_ He shook his head, "You'll find out soon, I guess, he gets...scared...he thinks we will replace him because of his slow pitches, when in reality, it's his slow pitches, that we like. They are almost unhittable. His fastball...well, you would have to see it, I don't get the mechanics all that well, but if you talk with Abe, he'd be able to tell you all about it."

"I see, I would still like to join, even as a stand-in pitcher...or even a runner."

"How fast are you?"

"..." She blushed, "My quickest time in track is 6.1 seconds..."

"You're fast! I'm 6.6...damn, if I have to, I'll beg for coach to put you on."

"Please don't," She laughed, "I just want to ask, and if not, I'll stick it out with the Swim team and Track."

'_THAT'S WASTED TALENT!'_ He stared with wide eyes.

Souta snorted, "I'm going back inside, I'll be late for school if I continue watching you and our neighbor make plans for a baseball date. See ya Izumi-Sempai."

"...baseball...date...what?! SOUTA YOU DORK! Get a life you little cretin!" She blushed, "I-Izumi-San, you said you would join us for breakfast, yes? I'm going to go change, but please, come in." She bowed, her cheeks flushed bright red.

He laughed a little at her discomfort, but nodded all the same, "Yeah, take your time; I'll keep your little brother company."

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome smiled, she could see the wheels in her father's head turning as Izumi bowed and sat down at the table as she placed food in front of him, Souta too was grinning at the strained smile their dad was giving.

"Thanks for having me over, sir, though, I don't know if she actually brought it up to you when she asked, I'm grateful all the same." Izumi smiled. "Itadakimasu,"

Kagome bowed out and left to change while they ate, she had finished eating before her father and brother, so she was good. She dressed in a white tank top and pulled a light blue girls jersey over it with the words _**Pitching Princess**_ writing in a curly white font on the front over her chest; a pair of white capris were worn beneath the jersey and she pulled on a pair of white socks before pulling her shoes on and tying her blue shoelaces in bows. She pulled her hair up into a tight ponytail and tied it up with a white scrunchy, the same one she always wore, and made her way down stairs to Izumi and her brother and dad.

"Hey, Souta, you coming with? I can drop you off on the way to school; you can take your soccer ball and play on the field while you wait for school to start."

"Yeah!"

Gin sighed as the kids got up to head out of the house, "I'll be dropping by the sports shop on my way home today, thankfully my last boss had me transferred, but this means I won't get off till about five, and I won't be home till around seven or eight since I'm stopping to pick some things up, anything at the top of your heads that you can think of that you want or need?"

"...um..." Kagome looked at Souta and shrugged, Souta looked to be seriously thinking about it.

"Can I get an air pump for my soccer ball? I have one, but it's at moms,"

Their dad nodded, "No problem; you two have fun at school, take care of them on the way Izumi-San,"

Izumi bowed, both he and Kagome had caught the look in his eyes, Souta didn't seem to notice as he smiled and grabbed his bag along with Kagome's. The three left the house and Izumi opened the gate for them.

"Did you see that look?" He asked, not caring to elaborate, he wouldn't explain if they didn't.

"Yeah..." Kagome sighed, she understood what he was talking about, and knew all too well how much her father missed their mom.

"See what?" Souta asked as he balanced his soccer ball on his head.

Kagome smiled sadly as she flicked the ball, watching it bounce a few feet ahead of Souta. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

"Humph! Whatever," he kicked the ball ahead of him before running and using his foot to knock it up into the air and catch it on his knee, switching between knees as he jogged in place before bouncing it back on top of his head and balancing it once more a few feet ahead of his sister. "So...I know I said my sister is good at baseball, and she is, trust me, but...you sure she can get on the team? She is a girl, not too many guys like to share the field with a girl. Maybe you should dress her up like a boy or something."

Izumi raised a brow and turned to Kagome, glancing her over, from feet to head, he shook his head, "Even if that was a good idea, which I don't think it is, I wouldn't think we could do that. I can't see her looking like a guy."

Souta smiled, bounced the ball one more time on his head and caught it in his hands as he turned to face Izumi, "Wait till this Saturday, when she's done with school, the real her will shine through like the North Star for Bethlehem. You'll see how much like a boy she can look like."

"Oh! Souta, be quiet~!" She blushed, "So I'm a tomboy, there is no crime in dressing in clothes that are comfortable!" She scoffed, "There's a reason you don't see men running around in dresses and heels, they aren't comfy!"

Izumi and Souta laughed, Izumi commenting, "There is another reason; that type of attire was made specifically for females."

She rolled her eyes, Souta ran off ahead as he saw his school come into view.

"See you at home Sis!"

"Have fun!" She grinned playfully, "Stay out of trouble!"

He nodded, tossing her school bag to her before leaving Izumi and Kagome to watch him run towards the field.

Kagome caught her bag and continued towards Nishiura with Izumi next to her.

"Do you mind if I ask why your dad and mom got a divorce? He seems to genuinely miss her."

"Ah...didn't I mention to you? My mom was always trying to change me into something of a clone of my sister, it got to the point of her throwing away my clothes and replacing them with dresses and such, it got bad when she threw away my track and training gear, it started when she got rid of the baseball's and other sports equipment I would play with as a little girl. She was the reason I stopped pitching...I never could find a baseball in the house, because she made sure there were none." She frowned, "I remember one of the worst moments of my life...I was seven...this was when they started fighting..."

_**~Flashback~**_

_**A seven year old Kagome ran crying to her father who had just got home, her hair was straight after being forced to sit down for nearly half an hour while her mother straightened it. She had a small burn mark on her forehead from where the iron had touched her and a red mark from where her mother had not only pinched her but pressed her nail into her skin causing a line to form.**_

"_**What's wrong?! Why are you crying?" He asked, trying to sooth his daughter and her tears as he wiped them away, her face blotchy and red from crying, and her fingers clutched his white dress shirt tightly as she tried to climb into his arms.**_

"_**Don't pamper her!"**_

_**Cold blue eyes turned to his wife, "You did this?"**_

"_**A little accusatory aren't you?" She snapped, "Yes, I did, because she wouldn't sit still, and because of that she got burned too, if she were more like her sister, we wouldn't have this problem."**_

"_**...I have a business trip, I'll be back in three days,"**_

_**Rai watched as he stood up with the youngest of his twins still crying into his shirt, he took her hand and walked off to his and his wife's room, grabbing a bag and packing some clothes before walking upstairs and doing the same with his little girls clothes. She was his world, because to her, he was mom and dad, her own mother played the role of a bully in her eyes, and would never really have a place in her heart except for that.**_

_**He loved his wife though, and would try no matter the drama, to fix things, and hopefully, get her to see reason.**_

_**He left the house with Kagome and Rai chased after them.**_

"_**Where are you taking her?!"**_

"_**On a three day getaway from her mother; since I clearly can't leave her at home alone with you," he helped Kagome into the car and got into the driver's seat before pulling out of the parking lot, ignoring the screaming and yelling of his wife.**_

_**He looked into the rearview mirror and looked his daughter over. Her mother had straightened her beautiful wavy hair, and had her in another dress. He sighed, "Hey Angel, you want to go play somewhere tomorrow?"**_

"_**Don't you have a trip?"**_

"_**Nah, I'm taking a three day vacation,"**_

"_**I have school,"**_

"_**Nope, didn't you know?"**_

_**Kagome smiled, shaking her head, "Know what?"**_

"_**Daddy is letting you take a three day vacation too."**_

"_**YEAH!" She laughed, then frowned, "Can we play baseball? Mama threw the balls in the house away again."**_

_**He looked at Kagome, smiling, he nodded, "Yeah, I happen to have a new set of baseballs and a mitt in the trunk!"**_

_**~End~Flashback~**_

"Mom was furious when we got back, but instead of yelling, or shouting, she simply...she ignored me." She closed her eyes as she slowed in her walk before coming to a complete stop, "Not daddy, me...she acted as if I didn't exist. My sister had even commented on it," she shook her head, "Saying things like, mom, Kaggie's saying something...or, mom, Kagome asked you a question...but she would smile at Kikyou and say, Don't be silly Kikyou dear, I hear nothing, I see nothing, nothing but my little flower, my lotus blossom. I got so used to hearing that, I would fall asleep to those words...soon, it became habit, I would come home, walk past my mother like she wasn't even there, hug daddy, and do my school work. She no longer existed in my mind. She is only my mother by birthrights."

So lost in the retailing of her past, she didn't even realize she was crying until she felt the brush of a thumb run over her cheek, trailing over a tear as she lifted her head, looking into the concerned indigo eyes of Izumi.

"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..."

She shook her head, still crying she closed her eyes and tilted her head down to hide her tears. A pair of arms circled her around the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, holding her close as she cried into his shirt.

**-x-x-x-**

Izumi held her for a few moments, he wasn't about to say he was falling in love with the girl in his arms, because he wasn't. He felt bad, and protective, but those were the only feelings he could honestly say were filling his heart right now. He just wanted to see her stop crying, and he wanted to keep her from ever feeling hurt because of someone again. He heard her as she finally stopped sniffling and crying and smiled sadly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," She sniffed a little, pulling away with a little blush running across her cheeks, "Sorry..."

"Nah, its fine, really." He nodded his head towards the school, "Let's go."

She nodded, both unaware of the eyes that had been watching from a distance, and the ears which had heard every little word spoken.

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: SO...here is chapter four! If you guys love me, go check out my other account, it's a joint account.**

**AkumaBishiYuki**

**I would love you all so much more than I already do if you would read mine and Yuki's self-insert fic. No one has reviewed, and it's really quite nail-biting.**

**If you guys read and review that story -and honestly read and review, don't bother if you are just going to review without reading- I will update any story that you guys want updated! That's the deal. The Story is called (Here and There)!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome looked nervously around as people started to pile into the dugout on the field, she scooted closer to Izumi as one of the boys walked in and stopped, staring straight at her with a look of obvious curiosity.

"Is this the new hot spot for dating?"

"Ah, Abe...no, not quite, I brought her because...WE NEED HER ON OUR TEAM!"

The guys all looked at Kagome who turned and glared at Izumi.

"She's a girl..."

Kagome turned her eyes to the one with a bandana.

"So is coach, but I don't see anyone badmouthing her," Izumi said, returning to his normal tenor.

Kagome sighed; standing, she made to leave when Abe caught her by the shirt.

"What do you play,"

"...anything I have to, but I'm best as a pitcher,"

"..."

"Ah! Mm,"

Kagome turned and watched as a boy fiddled with his fingers restlessly and muttered under his breath as he nervously stared down at his feet. "Ah...that's what you meant..." she smiled, walking past Abe and towards the pitcher. "Hey,"

He glanced up, but was quick to look down, not keeping eye contact as he continued to glance up only to look back down again.

"No," She laughed, "Stop looking away, keep eye contact;" he still looked down. She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders, "I don't want to take your spot as Pitcher, you are their pitcher, not me..." she smiled when his eyes finally met hers. "I came here wanting to play baseball, but not at the cost of someone losing their spot on the team, that was never my intention. Like I said, I'll join track and Swim, see ya Izumi." She left the group of boys.

"Wasted talent, completely wasted talent! KAGOME!" Izumi yelled and kicked a metal bucket holding a bunch of balls, "Damn, I can't even count the balls she can throw on both of my hands,"

"That good?"

"That many?"

"...I want her to join..."

"Only because of her looks, Tajima, I'm sure..." Abe said.

"No, not that...something else..." he looked out the gate of the dugout, watching her leave.

"Then it's settled, we'll recruit her!"

The group of boys looked at their coach standing at the gate entrance to the dugout.

"Mihashi, you'll be bringing her back to the pitch."

"M-m-m-me?!" His eyes were wide, as were a few of the other players as they stared at their Pitcher who now stood trembling on his feet.

Abe stepped in front of Mihashi, "We don't need another Pitcher coach, I'll admit that she's-"

"I didn't say she was to be our pitcher, Abe, Mihashi, go get her."

"...r-right!" He ran out nervously, searching for the direction Kagome had run off to.

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome hadn't actually made it too far, she was walking towards the school entrance when she heard her name being called.

Turning, she smiled, it was the nerve wrecked Pitcher. "Hello there, what can I do for you?"

"I-I was t-told to bring you b-b-back!"

Kagome raised a brow, taking the boys hands in hers, she sat on her knees and pulled him down with her. His eyes immediately darting all around, "Please...calm down...I am not going to talk unless you can look me in the eyes."

He closed his eyes tightly, the two were unaware of the fact that the entire team was watching from the distance, a couple of the boys crawling on the ground to get a closer look and hopefully hear something.

They sight silently for a few minutes before the pitcher finally opened his eyes and looked Kagome straight in her own. She smiled happily, but didn't do anything that might frighten him. She remembered once when she was little, playing with a friends baby rabbit, how if you were to active, it would be easily frightened. And that was what he was in her eyes, a skittish rabbit.

"Y-you really aren't going to take m-my spot on the t-team?"

"No, even if it was offered, you love your spot, don't you?"

"...yeah, yeah I do..."

She smiled softly, he wasn't stuttering anymore, "What's your name?"

"Mihashi, Ren..."

"I'm Higurashi, Kagome, but please, continue to call me Kagome."

He nodded, a slight blush forming on her cheeks, "You are really nice...I usually make people angry...with my personality...but..."

Kagome watched tears start to swell in his eyes and leaned forward a bit, brushing her thumb over the tears, she smiled, "Don't let your team see you cry. You are the Pitcher, and they count on you to be strong, not only for yourself, but for them and for those who come to watch you play. It shows confidence when you can stand tall and fearless of the future. Even if you lost, your team would only strive to get better, and work harder, so no matter how tough or how hard something may be, never let it cause you to show your tears to those who support you."

He wiped his tears with a frown, "I don't see how they count on me, its Abe who leads this team. Without his signs, I'm nothing..."

"...you know, we should work on your confidence a bit. You should come by my house afterschool sometime, or...do you have plans this Saturday?"

He shook his head, "I don't..."

"Great! Come to my house and we can practice pitches!" She smiled, "I haven't played in a long time, I used to play a lot with my dad when I was little, but...that changed as I got older, however, I can show you, quite possibly, some pitches you don't know..." she smiled, "That of course is if you are interested,"

He nodded his head vehemently, "Yes, yes, yes I am!"

"Then I will give you directions after school, will you be at practice?"

He shook his head, "No, we will be studying, though, we need to find a place to study, we haven't yet."

"Oh? You guys can come to my house to study,"

His eyes brightened, _"So nice..."_

She laughed, "No more than anyone else."

"OI! WHATS WITH ALL THE TALKING!? IS SHE JOINING OR NOT?!"

Kagome and Mihashi both practically jumped out of their skin as they turned to see three boys behind them. She recognized Izumi, but not the other two. "Who are the two with Izumi-San?"

"Ah...the one on Izumi-San's left is Tajima, and on Izumi-San's right is Sakaeguchi-San...um...will you join as a player of Nishiura Academy's Baseball team, Kagome-San?"

Kagome smiled, "If you'll have me,"

He nodded, "I think it's going to be fun...thank you..."

Kagome stood and held her hand out to him, pulling him up as he took her hand. "Thanks for inviting me Mihashi, I promise to do my best to aid the team in any way I can, without be the Pitcher!"

**-x-x-x-**

Izumi stared with wide eyes at the determined look in Mihashi eyes, Abe too looked surprised by the new found look that he himself couldn't seem to draw out of the nervous and fidgety pitcher.

"Amazing, did she hypnotize him?"

Izumi laughed, "I think that's just her, I think having her as my next door neighbor is going to be more fun than I originally anticipated. Too bad it's her brother and not her that's my bedroom neighbor."

Abe and Oki both gave him a look, not smirks, a look, Abe's was something akin to a look of disapproval, and Oki's was one of humor.

Izumi laughed, "Not for any reasons you two might be thinking, I just thought it might be cool to talk with her at night once in a while."

"I'm sure that's all that you were thinking," Hanai smirked.

Izumi smiled, "Actually, that's all I was think about, what were _you _thinking about?"

"Hey, if you guys are still looking for a place to study, you are all welcomed over at my place! Snacks and drinks are on the house!"

Hanai smiled, "That sounds great!"

"Ooh~! What kind of snacks do you have?! Chips? I like chips! And soda!"

Kagome laughed; music to Izumi's ears. "Tajima, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Izumi raised a brow, for some reason, even though Tajima was yelling, and hyper, it didn't feel...real...it felt as if he was faking it, _'Probably my imagination.'_

"Practice starts now, if you are up for it,"

"I'm fine with that!" She was excited, that was clear to anyone with half a clue.

Coach Momoe shook her head, "I think some introductions are necessary."

"I know some of them, Tajima," she smiled at the hyperactive teen, "Of course, Mihashi," the boy next to her blushed and looked at his hands nervously. "Abe," she pointed to the boy across from her, "Then, Sakaeguchi," next to Tajima, "No introduction necessary for Izumi-San," She looked at the others, "That leaves you five, and the coach, I believe."

"Well, that's true, but I'll tell you what each one plays, firstly, I'm Momoe, and then as you've mentioned, we have Mihashi, Ren, our Ace Pitcher, got Hanai, Azusa, the team captain, right fielder and reserve pitcher. Abe, Takaya, he's our catcher and first vice-captain. Sakaeguchi, Yuto...he's the second baseman and second vice-captain. Over here you have Oki, Kazutoshi who is our first baseman, a reserve pitcher and reserve outfielder. Suyama, Shoji is the short stop, and reserve third base. Tajima, Yuichiro-"

"I'M THIRD BASEMAN! I also bat cleanup! And I'm the reserve catcher and reserve first baseman!" Tajima shouted excitedly as he jumped up and down, waving his hands excitedly as if to catch her attention.

"...yes, and Mizutani, Fumiko is the left fielder and reserve second baseman, Izumi, Kosuke is center field and reserve third baseman, finally, Nishishiro, Shintaro is our reserve outfielder. You...Higurashi, Kagome, will be our reserve pitcher, and if you can, quite possibly a reserve in something else. What can you play?"

"...um...anything, really..."

"What's your fastest time?" Momoe asked curiously.

Izumi answered, "6.1..."

"EHH!? SHE'S FAST!" Tajima called out from where he now sat on the seat in the dugout.

"Yes, you are," Momoe had stars in her eyes. "Let's get started!"

**-x-x-x-**

Gin sat on the floor of the house he was now living in with his little girl and only son. "..." Opening up a photo album, he stared at the first page, a picture of Rai holding both of the girls, hugging both of the girls, smiling at _both_ of the girls. He wasn't sure when it had all changed, he definitely wasn't sure about why it had all changed, and while he hated that it had...he loved his daughter enough to take her from that torture...even if it hurt to do so. Still, he knew it would have hurt him more to stay...to watch Rai treat Kagome the way she did.

He turned the page, it was Kagome and Kikyou, both were wearing dresses, infants that they were, Kagome hadn't liked dresses even then, as was made obvious the day this picture had been taken when she continuously tried to take it off while Rai tried for a picture. She was pouting as she stared at the dress in dislike; Kikyou was merely looking at Kagome as she tried in vain to remove the frilly outfit.

Once more he turned the page, this was one of his favorite pictures, he had been taking pictures of the house to send to his parents when Kagome had come running at him with a baseball in hand, it was a close up of her, as he had turned and snapped the picture just in time to catch her shoulders and up, the ball in hand, and this big and happy smile on her face. This had been before she had shown an interest in sports; it was his autographed baseball that he'd had in his room on the table. It was hers now, she loved that ball.

Closing the book, Gin sighed, falling backwards on the carpet before covering his eyes with his arm,_ "Damn it Rai, how could you be so stupid,"_

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: I feel bad, this chapter is even shorter than the last, BUT AT LEAST I'M UPDATING! Tell me what you guys think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome checked her stance on the pitcher's mound; she was dragged up their by Izumi, and while she had told him that she would feel better avoiding the mound together, the Coach, Momoe, was taking with Mihashi about having her as a replacement pitcher. So she would be introduced to their schedules and practices, which meant, she would be playing pitcher when Mihashi wasn't.

Abe was across from her playing catcher, and Sakaeguchi was playing batter while the others jogged or practiced catching with partners.

"Alright, we'll start off with something simple, I know Izumi told us that you were amazing, but we haven't really seen what you can do..._if you can do anything at all_...when you pitch, how many sections do you throw."

Kagome frowned and thought it over for a moment, "Nine..."

"...so another Mihashi..." Sakaeguchi said as he looked back to Abe who was somewhat surprised to hear that a girl could throw to nine different positions.

"Pay attention to what signs I give you, I'll tell you the same thing I told Mihashi; don't brush off my signs."

Kagome nodded, blowing her bangs from her eyes as the wind swept them into her line of sight; her hair was already tied back for practice, though, she still was trying to comprehend all that had happened. She was getting giddy at the realization that, she was actually about to be officially placed on a baseball team...she couldn't wait till she could tell her dad.

"Hey! Are you paying attention!?"

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts, _'I guess it wouldn't do me much good to get kicked out before I even got in,' _she smiled, "Sorry, I'm listening now."

Abe frowned with a glare, but nodded all the same before giving her a sign.

Kagome parted the two fingers next to her thumb, cocking her wrist, she didn't realize that the rest of the team had stopped what they were doing and were now watching her wind up before she released the ball.

"_Beautiful..."_

Kagome heard the coach, but the ball was tossed back by Abe before she could say anything back, and a new sign was thrown back at her. She saw the look in his eyes from behind that catcher's mask, and she knew what it meant. He didn't like her, and he was going to make that clear, in every throw back, every comment he gave her, and every sign he tossed her way in his attempts at throwing her off. He wanted her to know what it was that he felt, he wanted her to know that he didn't care if she was talented, if she wasn't his puppet, she wasn't worth his time.

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome stretched as she finished dressing, the guys had finished up already and were all waiting outside the fence for her. Well, Abe wasn't, and Hanai had left to follow after their catcher and try talking with him.

As she walked out in her regular clothes, Mihashi smiled at her from where he was standing with Izumi and Tajima beside him.

Tajima looked over at her and grinned, "Our Pitching Princess has graced us with her presence, NOW LETS GO~!"

"Oh, I don't even know where my classes are," Kagome mentally kicked herself.

"We can show you around, I'm sure that all of us will be in at one of your classes,"

Kagome sighed, "Thanks Sakaeguchi-San,"

Sakaeguchi blushed, "No 'San', none of us use those honorifics anyway. Not with each other or classmates at least."

Kagome frowned, "Is it really so different at my old school...?"

Sakaeguchi shrugged, "I guess?" He smiled, "Do you have your schedule?"

Kagome nodded and pulled it out from her bag before holding it out to Sakaeguchi who glanced over her classes before laughing. "Almost all of us are in the same classes. Izumi, and Hanai are in your first period. Tajima is with you, me, Izumi, Abe and Mihashi in your second, third, and fourth period. Then you have lunch, and your fifth and sixth period is shared with Abe, Izumi, and Tajima."

Kagome gave a soft sigh in relief, "I'm so glad to hear that, Izumi, could you help me to my classes since I literally have you in all of them?"

Izumi nodded, "Sure, no problem."

**-x-x-x-**

"_What are we doing here, Miroku?"_

"_You have been moping about your house for the last few days because Kagome is gone; we are here to see her, and you are here to get happy."_

"_But were skipping school!"_

"_And whispering...why are we whispering?!"_

Sango sighed, "What if we get caught?"

"They have no uniforms, so as long as we don't come out and say 'hey, we go to another school in Japan, but decided to skip and come to your school for the day in hopes of seeing our friend'." Miroku smiled as he pulled his girlfriend into his arms and kissed her on the cheek, "Let's go, we don't want to be late for school," he joked.

Sango rolled her eyes as he pulled her through the doors of Nishiura Academy. "We're going to get caught."

"No..."

"Yes," She challenged.

"No we are not my love,"

"Yes we are, _Miroku_."

This went on for a while before they bumped into someone and ran the other direction.

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome turned to see who had just bumped into her only to see two people who looked oddly familiar running in the opposite direction. "...Sango...?" She frowned, _'Impossible,'_ Kagome smiled and laughed out loud at the thought, "Sango wouldn't be caught dead skipping school."

"What's that?"

Kagome looked to Izumi who was closing his locker and fixing his bag on his shoulders. "Oh, nothing, I thought I saw someone from my old school, but the person I thought that I saw, she is the class rep. and would never miss a day of school." Kagome laughed, "It's funny to think about though!"

Izumi smiled, guiding her through the halls to their first class as he did.

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: So, I have made the decision to write chapters more often, but keep them shorter than normal. No shorter than 1,000 words, as this one had 1,275 words, but all the same, shorter.**

**I will be using a list to update by, and my list will be made by Yuki every time, so please, if you wish for anything specific, I'd go bug her. -.-…**_**not in charge of updates**_**...**

**I will be posting the List at the end of each chapter, so you'll know what has been both updated, and next to be updated.**

**LIST**

Rated M For Manicure – **X**

A Moment In Time – **X**

The Last to Know – **X**

Shine on Me – X

The Girl You Left Behind – Ch5 started

Accidentally In Love – Ch2 started

Stay Alive -

I Am Shades of Life -

The Shadow Bender -

I Say Yes – Next chapter in Journal

My Dirty Little Secret –

**Me: A new list will be made by YukimuraShuusukeGirl subsequently, once I finish the last story on the list. Please Review, and let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shine On Me**

**Summary: Kagome has just arrived at Nishiura academy after apparently their Baseball Teams first victory, and it's all she's heard about since walking through the doors of her new school. Not only that, but their female coach has apparently scouted her after being caught on the baseball pitch after the teams already gone. What will ensue when the team discovers she's got a favorable Knuckleball?**

**Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Big Windup!**

**Pairing: Kagome/Tajima**

**Genre: Humor/Slice of Life/School Life/Sports/Romance**

**Rated: For Mature Content**

**-x-x-x-**

Izumi sighed as he listened to Hanai talk with Abe. He had just taken Kagome to their first class before excusing himself to find Hanai and Abe. Abe was complaining about having another Pitcher, when they didn't need anyone but Mihashi. Hell, Mihashi wasn't making as big a deal of this as Abe was.

"What the hell man! She's back up, she's great! Why are you trying so hard to turn her into something bad?! All she wants to do is play baseball, and she did every throw you pushed her way, even one Mihashi didn't know how to do! I'm not saying we should replace Mihashi, but if he were to...hm, I don't know, _twist_ his wrist or get _sick_ we'd have a fall back plan!"

"Hanai's right, Abe. This isn't like you. What's really going on? This can't be because of Kagome, what's wrong?" Izumi asked as he pushed away from the wall and walked up to Abe. Hanai looked back to the Catcher and waited for his reply.

"...We just got Mihashi comfortable on the team, we told him we would never replace him...if we were to bring her on the team and replace him with her, or give his mound to her...what kind of teammates would that make us?"

Izumi smiled, "I see where you are coming from, but Mihashi likes her. She even told him herself, she has no intention of replacing him. She just wants to play...don't think of her as his replacement, because Mihashi isn't. Think of her as his backup, as _our_ backup. She is suited for all positions, Abe...hell, she may play _your_ position, or mine...you will have to suck it up, along with the rest of us."

"You say the rest of us, but you actually want her on the team."

"SHE'S AMAZING!" Izumi yelled, waving his arms around in exaggeration, "Who wouldn't want a great pitcher on their team?! Yes we have one already, Mihashi, but we could have TWO really great pitchers! Think about that! Most teams try for one really good pitcher, and we would have two...TWO!"

"..." Hanai watched carefully as Abe sighed.

"Fine, you're right. I'm being stupid."

"Yeah,"

Abe hit Izumi on the back of the head with his hand, "Don't agree so openly!"

"Excuse me..."

The three turned and saw a teacher standing behind them.

"**Sensei!"**

"If you boys are done chatting it up in the hallways, please make your way to your classes."

That was all they needed to hear as they immediately bowed and ran off to their classes.

**-x-x-x-**

Kagome laughed at something the teacher said concerning the human brain as Hanai and Izumi made their way inside.

"Abe, Hanai, take your seats...Higurashi, explain to me what you found so funny."

"Sir, you said that we only use ten percent of our brain."

"I still fail to see your humor in the statement."

"Well, wouldn't it be wonderful if there really was ninety percent of our brain somewhere not being used? It would be like discovering that your house was really a hotel with an extra ninety rooms that you'd never noticed before. It's an entertaining fantasy that is encouraged by advertisers to sell us everything from self-help material to cereal, but it is not true. You use all of your brain...most of the time."

"What premise do you have to base these thoughts on?"

Kagome smiled, "During the early eighteen hundreds, scientists became fascinated with understanding how localized parts of the brain deal with specific functions. The science of phrenology flourished. Since this is a science class, I will assume you know what the term is, but for those who don't. Phrenology is the art of deducing human behavior and personality from examining bumps on the skull."

"Your point, Higurashi?"

Kagome continued, "As our knowledge of brain topography increased, modern scientists discovered that the frontal lobe is associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem-solving; that the optical lobe is associated with visual processing; and that the temporal lobe is associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech. However, this simplified picture of the brain is not the whole story. Brain imaging with PET scans-"

"What is that?"

Kagome looked to Izumi who sat beside her. "PET scans?"

"Yeah, I've never heard of it."

"Position Emission Tomography Scan. The PET scans has shown that even relatively simple mental tasks or thought processes use many parts of the brain at once. A neurological disorder such as Parkinson's disease affects only specific areas of the brain, but it has devastating global consequences. We only understand a little of how our brains work, but this doesn't mean that we only use a fraction of them. While it may be true that we can all develop intuitive powers, or teach ourselves to perform an array of new and exciting tasks, that doesn't mean that we suddenly switch a light on in parts of our brain that have previously languished in darkness."

"**..."**

Kagome noted the silence and decided to add a little more since they were listening to her anyways. "One of the main reasons why the ten percent myth had proliferated is that the alleged 'untapped potential' in our brains has become increasingly associated with paranormal abilities, which are supposed to lie dormant or to have been forgotten by modern humans."

"What do you mean 'modern humans'?"

"Well, I grew up on a shrine where my twin and I were constantly being trained as 'shrine maidens'. Shrine Maidens of earlier eras were said to have great powers in healing and purification. Though...there was also talk of demons, so...I wouldn't bank too much on the thought of young ladies being able to heal with a touch." She laughed. The class joined her. "Also, people who make a living out of selling self-help material often suggest that we only use a fraction of our brain, and then claim that their methods can somehow magically retrain us to reclaim the so-called unused portion. It is a powerful metaphor that, taken literally, can be as reductive as the phrenology of old."

The teacher starred at Kagome for what seemed like a lifetime before she nodded her head, "Very well, that was very detailed Higurashi, and while I normally wouldn't be pleased with a student question or challenging a long told fact of science, I can't argue your point, very well done, indeed."

Kagome smiled and sat back down as class continued.

**-x-x-x-**

**Me: Here is chapter Seven! I hope you all enjoy it!**


End file.
